The Supreme Court, on Monday, issued an order withholding the passport of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb until the conclusion of the appeal case lodged by the government.
On June 9, the state submitted an appeal regarding the High Court's decision to overturn Adeeb's eight-year prison sentence over the embezzlement of USD 5 million (MVR 77 million) owed to the state as acquisition costs for Maabinhuraa, Lhaviyani Atoll.
The order announced the Supreme Court's decision to accept the state's appeal case and grant its request to place the former vice president under a temporary travel ban. Subsequently, Maldives Immigration was ordered to withhold Adeeb's passport until the case concludes or until instructed otherwise.
According to the apex court, the government's request for a temporary travel ban was granted after consideration of relevant regulations and the nature of the case.
In addition to the Maabinhuraa case, the High Court overturned and ordered a retrial of his 10-year sentence over involvement in the blast aboard the presidential speedboat in 2015. The Supreme Court also overturned a 10-year sentence over charges of illegal weapons possession.
The Criminal Court decided to send back 12 cases lodged against Adeeb including the two cases which the High Court ordered a retrial for.
Overall, the former vice president escaped a 33-year jail sentence after being acquitted of various charges.
Adeeb is currently in India for medical reasons and is scheduled to return on June 26. The former vice president travelled with government approval and is accompanied by officers from Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) and Maldives Police Service.
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